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Herein, composites based on Ni-doped ZnO nanorods and Ti3C2 MXene structure (Ni-ZnO NR/Ti3C2) were produced via a simple hydrothermal method for photocatalytic applications. Special attention was paid to their structural and optical properties. The composite exhibited a photocatalytic effectiveness of 88.2% in degrading methyl orange (MO) within a duration of 75 minutes when exposed to a xenon lamp. The enhancement of the catalytic activity was due to the one-dimensional ZnO nanostructure, the Ni doping, and the Schottky heterojunction is formed by the interface within ZnO and Ti3C2. Therefore, this work provides an effective strategy to fabricate metal oxide/MXene photocatalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transport properties of the graphene-based antiferromagnet/insulator/ferromagnet/superconductor junction with noncollinear magnetic moments are theoretically investigated under the Bogoliubov-de Gennes equation. By introducing a mass term into the antiferromagnetic region, the spin-polarized equal-spin Andreev reflection (EAR) can be achieved for all voltages in the subgap region, free from any interference from the opposite-spin Andreev reflection (OAR). The transition from the retro EAR to the specular EAR can be realized by adjusting the Fermi level within the antiferromagnetic region. The perfect EAR can be obtained, suggesting an efficient equal-spin pairing correlation. Furthermore, we note that the EAR exhibits magnetoisotropy with an in-plane ferromagnetic exchange field, which is opposite to the results in a ferromagnet/ferromagnet/superconductor junction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To develop a novel combined nomogram based on deep-learning-assisted computed tomography (CT) texture (DL-TA) and clinical–radiological features for the preoperative prediction of invasiveness in patients with clinical stage IA lung adenocarcinoma manifesting as part-solid nodules (PSNs). This study was conducted from January 2015 to October 2021 at three centres: 355 patients with 355 PSN lung adenocarcinomas who underwent surgical resection were included and classified into the training (n= 222) and validation (n= 133) cohorts. PSN segmentation on CT images was performed automatically with a commercial deep-learning algorithm, and CT texture features were extracted. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator was used for feature selection and transformed into a DL-TA score. The combined nomogram that incorporated the DL-TA score and identified clinical–radiological features was developed for the prediction of pathological invasiveness of the PSNs and validated in terms of discrimination and calibration. The present study generated a combined nomogram for predicting the invasiveness of PSNs that included age, consolidation-to-tumour ratio, smoking status, and DL-TA score, with a C-index of 0.851 (95% confidence interval: 0.826–0.877) for the training cohort and 0.854 (95% confidence interval: 0.817–0.891) for the validation cohort, indicating good discrimination. Furthermore, the model had a Brier score of 0.153 for the training cohort and 0.135 for the validation cohort, indicating good calibration. The developed combined nomogram consisting of the DL-TA score and clinical–radiological features and has the potential to predict the individual risk for the invasiveness of stage IA PSN lung adenocarcinomas. • Deep learning-assisted CT texture (DL-TA) can predict invasiveness of part-solid nodules (PSN). • The developed combined nomogram consisting of the DL-TA score and identified clinical–radiological features. • A novel combined nomogram can predict the individual risk for the invasiveness PSN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We theoretically investigate the nonlocal transport in the ferromagnet/s-wave superconductor/Rashba spin-orbit coupled region/ferromagnet hybrid junction composed of the gapped graphene lattices. The equal-spin crossed Andreev reflection (ECAR) and the opposite-spin crossed Andreev reflection (OCAR) can be generated separately. The ECAR dominant transport and the OCAR dominant one appear for the junction with antiparallel and parallel magnetization of two ferromagnetic leads, respectively. The pure ECAR (OCAR) is achieved not only at the Dirac point but over a large voltage range, suggesting the highly efficient nonlocal splitting of the Cooper pairs with spin-triplet (spin-singlet) pairing correlations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we propose a new distance measure between intuitionistic fuzzy sets(IFSs), which takes into account the membership degree, non-membership degree, and their difference between membership and non-membership degree of intuitionistic fuzzy sets, as well as the exponential distance measure to avoid information loss. Meanwhile we prove that it satisfies the axiomatic definition of distance measure, and do comparison analysis with some widely used distance measures. Finally, we apply our distance measure in pattern recognition, these results show that our distance measure can significantly overcome the drawback of information loss and have more widely application scope. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The crack resistance and brittle failure of soil can be improved by polypropylene fiber addition. In this study, polypropylene fiber was added to sand during the microbially induced carbonate precipitation (MICP) process. The polypropylene fiber length and content were chosen as research variables, and the effects of fiber length and content on the strength and brittle failure of MICP-treated sand were analyzed from a macroscopic perspective by using an unconfined compressive strength test, a split test, and a related physical experiment at the microcosmic scale through scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Background: Human skin, which is constantly exposed to solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR), has a unique ability to respond by increasing its pigmentation in a protective process driven by melanogenesis in human epidermal melanocytes (HEMs). However, the molecular mechanisms used by HEMs to detect and respond to UVR remain unclear. Objectives: To investigate the function and potential mechanism of opsin 5 (OPN5), a photoreceptor responsive to UVR wavelengths, in melanogenesis in HEMs. Methods: Melanin content in HEMs was determined using the NaOH method, and activity of tyrosinase (TYR) (a key enzyme in melanin synthesis) was determined by the l‐DOPA method. OPN5 expression in UVR‐treated vs. untreated HEMs and explant tissues was detected by reverse‐transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT‐qPCR), Western blotting and immunofluorescence. Short interfering RNA‐mediated OPN5 knockdown and a lentivirus OPN5 overexpression model were used to examine their respective effects on TYR, tyrosinase‐related protein 1 (TRP1), TRP2 and microphthalmia‐associated transcription factor (MITF) expression, under UVR. Changes in expression of TYR, TRP1 and TRP2 caused by changes in OPN5 expression level were detected by RT‐qPCR and Western blot. Furthermore, changes in signalling pathway proteins were assayed. Results: We found that OPN5 is the key sensor in HEMs responsible for UVR‐induced melanogenesis. OPN5‐induced melanogenesis required Ca2+‐dependent G protein‐coupled receptor‐ and protein kinase C signal transduction, thus contributing to the UVR‐induced MITF response to mediate downstream cellular effects, and providing evidence of OPN5 function in mammalian phototransduction. Remarkably, OPN5 activation was necessary for UVR‐induced increase in cellular melanin and has an inherent function in melanocyte melanogenesis. Conclusions: Our results provide insight into the molecular mechanisms of UVR sensing and phototransduction in melanocytes, and may reveal molecular targets for preventing pigmentation or pigment diseases. What is already known about this topic? Ultraviolet radiation (UVR) induces a protective response to DNA damage mediated by melanin synthesis in human epidermal melanocytes (HEMs).Tyrosinase (TYR), with tyrosinase‐related proteins (TRP1, TRP2), are the key enzymes for melanin synthesis.Microphthalmia‐associated transcription factor regulates key genes for melanocyte development and differentiation, and can stimulate melanogenesis by activating transcription of TYR and other pigmentation genes, including TRP1.Opsin 5 (OPN5) is known to function as a photoreceptor responsive to wavelengths in the near UV spectrum. What does this study add?UVR induces melanogenesis in HEMs via OPN5.OPN5 regulates expression of TYR, TRP1 and TRP2 through the calcium‐dependent G protein‐coupled and protein kinase C signalling pathways.OPN5 has an inherent role in HEMs in mediating melanogenesis. What is the translational message?OPN5 was discovered as a key sensor for UVR‐induced melanogenesis in human skin melanocytes.It could be a target for early treatment of pigmentation or pigment diseases, to provide a more personalized and economically feasible method. Linked Comment: L.V.M. de Assis and A.M. de Lauro Castrucci. Br J Dermatol 2021; 185:249–250. Plain language summary available online [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Interventions using prebiotic inulin‐type fructans (ITFs) are widely prescribed to modulate the gut microbiota composition and activity to promote health. However, the impacts of ITFs on post‐antibiotic reconstitution of the gut microbiome remain incompletely understood. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of ITFs supplementation on intestinal inflammation, the composition of the intestinal microbiota and the colonic transcriptome after antibiotic treatment. Methods and Results: Male BALB/c mice were subjected to an antibiotic cocktail (ABx) treatment for 7 days, and their microbiomes were then reconstituted either spontaneously or with ITFs supplementation (5%) for 14 days. Our data showed that ITFs supplementation delayed the recovery of antibiotic‐induced colitis compared with the spontaneous recovery. Neither ITFs supplementation nor spontaneous recovery could restore the microbial community composition at the genus level back to its initial composition. ITFs supplementation increased the relative abundance of some beneficial bacteria and butyrate levels, but resulted in selective blooms of some opportunistic pathogens and elevated the pathways associated with diseases linked to gut microbiota function. Both ITFs supplementation and spontaneous recovery could restore the colonic transcriptome nearly to the initial profile to a certain extent; however, ITFs supplementation delayed the restoration of the immunoglobulin genes compared to spontaneous recovery. Conclusion: These data showed that post‐antibiotic ITFs consumption did not always lead to beneficial effects but might lead to potential adverse effects in the context of dysbiosis. Significance and Impact of the Study: These findings highlighted that caution is required when supplementing ITFs to restore intestinal homeostasis in the context of dysbiosis resulting from broad‐spectrum antibiotics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mannose (MAN), an important monosaccharide, contributes to coping with abiotic stresses in plants. Objectives of this study were to examine whether exogenous MAN (30 mM) could significantly increase drought tolerance and further to reveal MAN-regulated tolerance mechanism in white clover under osmotic stress induced by 18 % (m/v) polyethylene glycol 6000 for 10 d in controlled growth chambers. Results show that the application of MAN significanlty alleviated stress damage and the inhibition of growth and photosynthesis in white clover under osmotic stress. The MAN-induced increase in endogenous MAN content and the accumulation of organic osmolytes (proline and water soluble sugars) could be responsible for a lower osmotic potential (OP) in white clover. The exogenous application of MAN also enhanced antioxidant enzyme (superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, ascorbate peroxidase, dehydroascorbate reductase, and glutathione reductase) activities and maintained ascorbic acid content in white clover during osmotic stress. As concern chlorophyll (Chl) metabolism, the MAN-treated plants showed significantly higher transcription of genes involved in Chl synthesis Mg-chelatase and protochlorophyllide reductase and lower transcription of pheophorbide a oxygenase and chlorophyllase related to Chl degradation and also a senescence associated gene 101 than untreated plants. In addition, the MAN application increased transcription of SK2-, Y2K-, and Y2SK-type dehydrin genes, and dehydrin b in leaves of white clover under osmotic stress. These results indicate that MAN plays important roles in drought tolerance not only acting as a compatible solute for OP but also delaying leaf senescence through enhancing antioxidant metabolism, decreasing Chl degradation, and increasing transcription of dehydrin genes contributing to enhanced drought tolerance in white clover. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnetic resonance imaging is a non-invasive imaging method that offers high-resolution, high quality in vivo visualization for medical diagnostics. Magnetic nanoparticles (NPs) containing Mn2+ offer an attractive alternative to Gd-based molecular contrast agents for T1 MRI. In this work, we show that highly anisotropic MnO NPs can be generated from a single precursor using simple synthetic protocols. These anisotropic morphologies offer better contrast augmentation when compared to spherical MnO NPs of similar sizes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Origin‐destination (OD) trails describe movements across space. Typical visualizations thereof use either straight lines or plot the actual trajectories. To reduce clutter inherent to visualizing large OD datasets, bundling methods can be used. Yet, bundling OD trails in urban traffic data remains challenging. Two specific reasons hereof are the constraints implied by the underlying road network and the difficulty of finding good bundling settings. To cope with these issues, we propose a new approach called Route Aware Edge Bundling (RAEB). To handle road constraints, we first generate a hierarchical model of the road‐and‐trajectory data. Next, we derive optimal bundling parameters, including kernel size and number of iterations, for a user‐selected level of detail of this model, thereby allowing users to explicitly trade off simplification vs accuracy. We demonstrate the added value of RAEB compared to state‐of‐the‐art trail bundling methods on both synthetic and real‐world traffic data for tasks that include the preservation of road network topology and the support of multiscale exploration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has recently been an increase in the research and implementation of advanced measurement techniques to ballistic toolmark identification. This has led to a shift from greyscale imaging to the acquisition of dense areal datasets. With the addition of mathematical correlation algorithms, these advanced techniques will be advantageous in criminal investigation. However, with the use of areal topography comes the addition of height point data which may differ in primer caps of varying material composition. This study discusses the differences in the overall topography of firing pin impressions in different primer cap materials, and the effect it has on the successful correlation of ballistic toolmark evidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Total least-squares (TLS) adjustment with inequality constraints has received increased attention in geodesy over the last three years. In the most recent work, inequality constraints have been presented that can restrict unknown parameters and independent variables, but no one has provided an inequality-constrained adjustment for restricting dependent variables. In this work, we review the TLS adjustment methods in terms of different model formulations and then investigate the errors-in-variables model with inequality constraints for dependent variables. Finally, we demonstrate the practicality of our approach with a planar geodetic transformation, where the uncertainty of the target observations is reduced via the inequality constraints for dependent variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil salinization is a major environmental challenge for crop growth. To monitoring salt stress in crops and benefit agricultural managements, SIMPLACE Modelling Framework was improved by modifying (i) water stress coefficient (TRANRF); (ii) radiation use efficiency (RUE); (iii) specific leaf area (SLA) and (iv) both RUE and SLA. The improved model was calibrated and validated using two years field trial data of sunflower collected at the Yichang experimental station in Hetao Irrigation District (HTD), Inner Mongolia, China. Sunflowers were planted in six salt affected plots and the salinity levels were denoted as saturated electrical conductivity (ECe). Crop characteristics included biomass and leaf area index (LAI) were measured several times during the growth period. We firstly obtained the TRANRF, RUE, and SLA for sunflower in potential conditions and then modified the TRANRF and scale factors of RUE and SLA (designated by prefix S to indicate SRUE and SSLA) to fit the measurements respectively. Results indicated that all these modifications could give relative accurate simulations for biomass and LAI but modifying SRUE and SSLA together gave us the most accurate predictions. Meanwhile, the simulation accuracy also varied with target variables, with more accurate biomass simulation by employing biomass as a target variable, and vice versa. In addition, we averaged the SRUE and SSLA results by using biomass and LAI as target variables respectively to balance the simulation accuracy and found that the averaged SRUE and SSLA results could obtain both acceptable biomass (RMSE=56.4-205.3 g.m-2) and LAI (RMSE=0.44-1.47) simulations. In addition, SRUE and SSLA had linear relationship with soil salt (ECe) and natural logarithm of ECe respectively. Meanwhile, using ECe of 0-10 cm depth could obtain higher accuracy for both biomass (averaged RMSE=268.6 gm-2 vs 274.9-2) and LAI (averaged RMSE=1.89 vs 1.95) predictions of sunflower than using ECe of 0-100 cm depth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reports on the observations of misfit dislocations in heterostructures by synchroton topography. Discussion on the climb mechanism of the generation of misfit dislocations; Disadvantages of using transmission electron microscopy; Experimental details and results of the study.

Summary: What is known and objective: Thymidylate synthase (TYMS) is an important target for methotrexate (MTX). Genetic variations in the TYMS gene contribute to the differences in treatment responses to MTX. The aim of this study was to investigate the distribution of a microRNA (miRNA) binding site polymorphism (rs2790 A > G) in the 3′‐untranslated region (3′‐UTR) of TYMS and its association with MTX concentration and haematological toxicity in Chinese paediatric patients with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). Methods: The Sequenom MassARRAY system was used for TYMS rs2790 A > G genotyping in 118 children with ALL. Serum MTX concentrations were measured by a fluorescence polarization immunoassay. Clinical data were extracted from the electronic medical records. Results and discussion: The minor allele frequency noted in this study (39.8%) was significantly higher than those in the CEU (Utah residents with northern and western Europe ancestry; 16.2%) and YRI (Yoruba in Ibadan, Nigeria; 25.0%) samples reported in the 1000 Genomes Project (P < .01). The frequency of MTX level >40 μmol/L at 24 hours in patients with the AA genotype (36.6%) was significantly higher than that in GG genotype carriers (5.9%, P < .05). However, the incidence rates of haematological toxicity were similar in the three genotype groups. Whereas there was evidence of higher blood levels in the A homozygotes, the evidence for this translating to higher toxicity was lacking. A larger study would be required to answer this. What is new and conclusion: The results of this study confirmed the significant ethnic differences in the distributions of the TYMS rs2790 A > G polymorphism. Whereas there was evidence of differences in MTX blood levels according to genotype, our study was not powered to show whether this would lead to more haematological toxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The classical Least-Squares (LS) adjustment has been widely used in processing and analysing observations from Global Satellite Navigation System (GNSS). However, in detecting temporal correlations of GNSS observations, which can be described by means of autoregressive (AR) process, the LS method may not provide reliable estimates of process coefficients, since the Yule-Walker (YW) equations refer to structured Errors-In-Variables (EIV) equations. In this contribution, we proposed a Total Least-Squares (TLS) solution with the singular cofactor matrix to solve the YW equations. The proposed TLS solution is obtained based on the fact that random errors belong to column space of its cofactor matrix. In addition the proposed solution does not need any substitution of the squared true parameter vector as done by the current publications. Finally, we simulate the AR process to prove that our solution is more reliable than the existing methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A novel permanently growing brain cell line from koi (Cyprinus carpio L.) (KB cell line) was established, and its suitability for detection of koi herpesvirus (KHV) was demonstrated in this study. The KB cell line was optimally maintained at 27°C in Leibovitz's L‐15 medium supplemented with 10% foetal bovine serum (FBS). It was subcultured more than 100 times, and chromosome analysis revealed that 51.54% of KB cells at passage 80 maintained the abnormal diploid chromosome number 2n = 96 while the modal chromosome number was 2n = 100. The cell line was cryopreserved in liquid nitrogen at −196°C and was recovered from storage after 1 year with good cell viability and vitality. The results of virus isolation demonstrated that KB cells were susceptible to KHV, which was shown by the presence of an obvious cytopathic effect and abundant virus particles. The viral titres of KHV in KB reached 105.73TCID50/0.1 ml within 7 days. Immunofluorescence and Western blot assays confirmed that KB replicated KHV. The newly established KB cell line will serve as a useful tool to elucidate KHV disease (KHVD) pathogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Probabilistic analysis is becoming more important in mechanical science and real-world engineering applications. In this work, a novel generalized stochastic edge-based smoothed finite element method is proposed for Reissner–Mindlin plate problems. The edge-based smoothing technique is applied in the standard FEM to soften the over-stiff behavior of Reissner–Mindlin plate system, aiming to improve the accuracy of predictions for deterministic response. Then, the generalized n th order stochastic perturbation technique is incorporated with the edge-based S-FEM to formulate a generalized probabilistic ES-FEM framework (GP_ES-FEM). Based upon a general order Taylor expansion with random variables of input, it is able to determine higher order probabilistic moments and characteristics of the response of Reissner–Mindlin plates. The significant feature of the proposed approach is that it not only improves the numerical accuracy of deterministic output quantities with respect to a given random variable, but also overcomes the inherent drawbacks of conventional second-order perturbation approach, which is satisfactory only for small coefficients of variation of the stochastic input field. Two numerical examples for static analysis of Reissner–Mindlin plates are presented and verified by Monte Carlo simulations to demonstrate the effectiveness of the present method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of spermatogenesis in the horse is challenging because of the absence of an in vitro system that is capable of reproducing efficient spermatogenesis and because of the difficulties and costs associated with performing well-controlled studies in vivo. In an attempt to develop novel methods for the study of equine spermatogenesis, we tested whether cells from enzymatically digested pre-pubertal equine testicular tissue were capable of de novo tissue formation and spermatogenesis following xenografting under the back skin of immunocompromised mice. Testes were obtained from normal pre-pubertal colts and dissociated into cell suspensions using trypsin/collagenase digestion. Resulting cell pellets, consisting of both somatic and germ cells, were injected into fascial pockets under the back skin of immunocompromised, castrated mice and maintained for between 1 and 14 months. Mice were killed and grafts were recovered and analyzed. As has been reported for testis cell suspensions from pigs, mice, cattle, and sheep, de novo formation of equine testicular tissue was observed, as evidenced by the presence of seminiferous tubules and an interstitial compartment. There was an increased likelihood of de novo testicular formation as grafting period increased. Using indirect immunofluorescence, we confirmed the presence of spermatogonia in de novo formed seminiferous tubules. However, we found no evidence of meiotic or haploid cells. These results indicate that dissociated pre-pubertal equine testis cells are capable of reorganizing into the highly specialized endocrine and spermatogenic compartments of the testis following ectopic xenografting. However, in spite of the presence of spermatogonia within the seminiferous tubules, spermatogenesis does not occur. Although this technique does allow access to the cells within the seminiferous tubule and interstitial compartments of the equine testis prior to reaggregation, the absence of spermatogenesis will limit its use as a method for the study of testicular function in the horse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

EP/GO nanocomposites were prepared by using a mechanical mixing method. The compressive strength and creep behavior of EP/GO nanocomposites were systematically studied through using electronic universal testing machine. The results indicate that the compression elastic modulus and strength of the composites firstly increased and then decreased with the increasing of GO content. The compression elastic modulus and compressive strength of the nanocomposites increased by 67.82 and 42.48 % than those of pure epoxy resin with 0.5 % of GO. The compressive strength was also improved with the increasing of deformation rates. Furthermore, the creep behaviors of EP/GO composites were suppressed by GO additives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The two-dimensional semi-Dirac model is characterized by the anisotropic energy dispersion, which is quadratic in one direction and linear along the orthogonal direction. We investigated the transport properties of the light irradiated n − p junction along the quadratic dispersion direction based on semi-Dirac materials. It is shown that the out-of-plane component of the pseudospin can be activated by the light irradiation. For the large light field, the out-of-plane component of the pseudospin is dominant, leading to the transition from the perfect normal reflection (anti-Klein tunneling) to the approximately perfect normal transmission (Klein tunneling) in the junction. • Light-irradiated n -doped/ p -doped junction based on the semi-Dirac material. • Transition from the anti-Klein tunneling to the approximately Klein tunneling. • The differential conductance is nearly saturated in the large light field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Origin-destination (OD) pattern is a highly useful means for transportation research since it summarizes urban dynamics and human mobility. However, existing visual analytics are insufficient for certain OD analytical tasks needed in transport research. For example, transport researchers are interested in path-related movements across congested roads, besides global patterns over the entire domain. Driven by this need, we propose waypoints-constrained OD visual analytics, a new approach for exploring path-related OD patterns in an urban transportation network. First, we use hashing-based query to support interactive filtering of trajectories through user-specified waypoints. Second, we elaborate a set of design principles and rules, and derive a novel unified visual representation called the waypoints-constrained OD view by carefully considering the OD flow presentation, the temporal variation, spatial layout and user interaction. Finally, we demonstrate the effectiveness of our interface with two case studies and expert interviews with five transportation experts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work we have prepared graphene loaded-ZnS/Bi2S3 nanoplates. Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy observations confirm that two dimensional (2D) ZnS/Bi2S3 nanoplates are tightly anchored on the graphene. The experimental results show that these nanocomposites demonstrate visible-light photocatalytic activities for methyl orange dye degradation. The high visible photocatalytic performances can be attributed to photo-induced electrons-holes separations in the ZnS/Bi2S3 nanoplates and the rapid capture of those electrons by graphene. This work provides a new method for synthesis of these highly efficient visible-light-driven photocatalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the virtual crack closure integral technique (VCCT) is formulated in the framework of cell-based smoothed finite element (CS-FEM) for evaluating stress intensity factors and for modeling the crack propagation in solids. In the present CS-FEM, the strain smoothing technique is operated over the smoothing domains which are constructed based on elements, and each element is further subdivided into several smoothing cells. The smoothed strain is then obtained by a boundary integral along the boundaries of the smoothing cells. Only shape function itself is involved in computing the strains and no derivatives of the shape functions or coordinate transformation is required for the computation of the discretized stiffness matrix, and thus ideal for fracture mechanics problems to evaluate the stress intensity factors, we utilize the one-step-analysis approach of the VCCT based on the assumption that an infinitesimal perturbation of crack-tip location shall not significantly affect the stress/displacement field. The significant feature of the present CS-FEM method equipped with VCCT is that it requires no domain integration in the analysis of fracture mechanics problems. Several numerical examples are presented to validate the effectiveness of the present method. It uses only the information for displacement openings behind the crack-tip and the nodal forces at the crack-tip for stress intensity factor evaluation. The comparison study has shown that is as accuracy as the FEM-Q4 that need domain integrations for both stiffness matrix computation and interaction integral methods for stress intensity factor evaluation. The present method is further used to successfully predict the crack growth trajectory with excellent agreement between numerical results and the experimental observations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a novel class of smoothing techniques based beta finite element method ( β FEM) for modeling of crystalline materials. The method is first examined by a simple standard patch test and applied in elastic problems. It is then implemented to model the anisotropic plastic deformation of rate-independent single crystals and bi-crystal. Several representative examples are studied to demonstrate the capability of proposed method with the integration algorithm for capturing the strain localization and dealing with plastic incompressibility. It is also performed to simulate the mechanical behavior of polycrystalline aggregates through modeling the synthetic microstructure constructed by Voronoi tessellation technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have successfully synthesised four different CuO nano-flowers by the hydrothermal routes with different copper salts and additions under different conditions. The obtained samples were characterised by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. We described the morphology features of the four different CuO nano-flowers. Furthermore, we investigated the effects of additions except copper salts on the formation of different CuO nano-flowers, and the possible growth mechanisms of the four different CuO nano-flowers were proposed. In addition, we find that the CuO nano-flower(iv) shows better sensing performance than the other three CuO nano-flowers. Our research proves that the shapes and morphologies of CuO nano-flowers are essential to the gas sensing properties of CuO nano-flowers, which may bring great development in gas sensing applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We aimed to evaluate clinical therapeutic effects of human umbilical cord–derived mesenchymal stem cell (UCMSC) transplantation in the treatment of end-stage liver diseases. The human UCMSCs were cultured and prepared, and then transplanted into the hepatic tissues of 50 patients with decompensated cirrhosis. The liver function, thrombin function, Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score, and hemodynamic index value were detected during a 24-week follow-up period, with the addition of hepatoprotective, antiviral, and other conventional treatments. No complications or serious side effects were observed. In the first 2–3 weeks after surgery, symptoms including abdominal distension, oliguria, edema, and others decreased significantly, with increased appetite compared with before surgery. In the 24-week follow-up period, the levels of serum albumin and prealbumin increased significantly compared with the preoperative levels; the decrease of coagulation indicators was not significant. The MELD scores were also markedly increased. Alpha-fetoprotein levels increased without significance after treatment. There was no significant difference in the hemodynamic changes in the portal and splenic veins according to ultrasound. Moreover, no significant differences in the liver and thrombin functions between the hepatitis B virus group and the other-etiology group were observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The smoothed finite element method (S-FEM) is known for its outstanding performance for solid mechanics problems, and working effectively with triangular or tetrahedral mesh that can be generated automatically for complicated geometries. In this work, a framework of S-FEM for modeling anisotropic crystalline plasticity is presented to simulate the mechanical behavior with rate-independence. The strain smoothing technique is extended to deal with finite strains in a nonlinear incremental integration procedure based on the Newton–Raphson scheme. The constitutive model utilizes a hyperelastic-based multiplicative plasticity method, which involves a local multiplicative decomposition of the deformation gradient into an elastic and a plastic part. The stress updates for a planar double-slip model exploit the return-mapping method with exponential map algorithm. The capability of the simulations to capture the strain localization and to handle plastic incompressibility of single crystal are demonstrated in representative examples. The proposed formulations and algorithms are also implemented to explore the mesoscopic and macroscopic elasto-plastic behavior of polycrystalline aggregates through modeling the synthetic microstructure constructed by Voronoi tessellation technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background:β-Catenin is a potent oncogenic protein in colorectal cancer (CRC), but the targets and regulation of this important signalling molecule are not completely understood. Hypoxia is a prominent feature of solid tumours that contributes to cancer progression.Methods:Here, we analysed the regulation between Nur77 and β-catenin under hypoxic conditions. Cell proliferation, migration, and invasion assays were performed to assess functional consequences.Results:We showed that hypoxia stimulated co-upregulation of β-catenin and Nur77 in a number of human CRC cell lines. Interestingly, expression of β-catenin and Nur77 by hypoxia formed a mutual feedback regulation circuits that conferred aggressive growth of CRC. Overexpression of β-catenin increased Nur77 transcription through hypoxia-inducible factor-1α rather than T-cell factor. Nur77-mediated activation of β-catenin by hypoxia was independent of both DNA binding and transactivation. Further, we showed that hypoxic activation of β-catenin was independent of the classical adenomatous polyposis coli and p53 pathways, but stimulated by phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt in a Nur77-dependent manner. Under hypoxic conditions, enhanced β-catenin and Nur77 expression synergistically stimulated CRC cell migration, invasion, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition.Conclusion:These findings provide a novel molecular mechanism for hypoxic CRCs that may contribute to tumour progression, and its targeting may represent an effective therapeutic avenue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: β-Catenin is a potent oncogenic protein in colorectal cancer (CRC), but the targets and regulation of this important signalling molecule are not completely understood. Hypoxia is a prominent feature of solid tumours that contributes to cancer progression.Methods: Here, we analysed the regulation between Nur77 and β-catenin under hypoxic conditions. Cell proliferation, migration, and invasion assays were performed to assess functional consequences.Results: We showed that hypoxia stimulated co-upregulation of β-catenin and Nur77 in a number of human CRC cell lines. Interestingly, expression of β-catenin and Nur77 by hypoxia formed a mutual feedback regulation circuits that conferred aggressive growth of CRC. Overexpression of β-catenin increased Nur77 transcription through hypoxia-inducible factor-1α rather than T-cell factor. Nur77-mediated activation of β-catenin by hypoxia was independent of both DNA binding and transactivation. Further, we showed that hypoxic activation of β-catenin was independent of the classical adenomatous polyposis coli and p53 pathways, but stimulated by phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt in a Nur77-dependent manner. Under hypoxic conditions, enhanced β-catenin and Nur77 expression synergistically stimulated CRC cell migration, invasion, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition.Conclusion: These findings provide a novel molecular mechanism for hypoxic CRCs that may contribute to tumour progression, and its targeting may represent an effective therapeutic avenue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] ES-FEM is extended to 3D fracture mechanics to obtain SIFs and simulate crack growth. [•] A 3D singular ES-FEM with singular fields of arbitrary order is developed. [•] The singular element employs a simple PIM to construct shape functions. [•] The stiffness matrix involves only the shape functions (not their derivatives). [•] Several numerical examples are illustrated and compared to published references. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Investigated effect of oscillation on emulsification using woven metal microscreen. [•] Increasing oscillation intensity reduced droplet size and its distribution. [•] Increasing dispersed phase flux increased droplet size but reduced its distribution. [•] Although a torque balance can predict droplet size, the phenomena are more complex. [•] Interaction between different parameters must be considered for proper modelling. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Acid-sensing ion channel 1a (ASIC1a) is the key proton receptor in nervous systems, mediating acidosis-induced neuronal injury in many neurological disorders, such as ischemic stroke. Up to now, functional ASIC1a has been found exclusively on the plasma membrane. Here, we show that ASIC1a proteins are also present in mitochondria of mouse cortical neurons where they are physically associated with adenine nucleotide translocase. Moreover, purified mitochondria from ASIC1a−/− mice exhibit significantly enhanced Ca2+ retention capacity and accelerated Ca2+ uptake rate. When challenged with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), ASIC1a−/− neurons are resistant to cytochrome c release and inner mitochondrial membrane depolarization, suggesting an impairment of mitochondrial permeability transition (MPT) due to ASIC1a deletion. Consistently, H2O2-induced neuronal death, which is MPT dependent, is reduced in ASIC1a−/− neurons. Additionally, significant increases in mitochondrial size and oxidative stress levels are detected in ASIC1a−/− mouse brain, which also displays marked changes (>2-fold) in the expression of mitochondrial proteins closely related to reactive oxygen species signal pathways, as revealed by two-dimensional difference gel electrophoresis followed by mass spectrometry analysis. Our data suggest that mitochondrial ASIC1a may serve as an important regulator of MPT pores, which contributes to oxidative neuronal cell death. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ultralong SiO2 nanotubes (SNTs) assembling non-woven mat are successfully synthesised by a sol–gel nanocoating technique. The formation of SNTs by a templating mechanism is accomplished in a bacterial cellulose (BC)/tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) system. The mineralisation process of TEOS on the surface of BC is measured by SEM and TEM. The hydroxyl groups of BC directly provide nucleation sites of silica mineralisation and catalyse silica polymerisation at their surface. The average diameter of SNTs and the wall thickness are 100 and 15 nm respectively. Compared with SiO2 nanoparticles, the photoluminescence of SNTs showed an obvious blue shift. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Six reverse-transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification ( RT-LAMP) primers designed against conserved regions of segment 6 ( s6) gene were used for the detection of grass carp Ctenopharyngodon idella reovirus ( GCRV) HZ08 subtype. The entire amplification could be completed within 40 min at 62·3° C. The RT-LAMP showed higher sensitivity than reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction ( RT-PCR). The RNA detection limit was 10 copies µl−1 for RT-LAMP assay and 100 copies µl−1 for conventional RT-PCR. In specificity tests, no cross-reactivity was detected in other viruses from common aquatic animals. In addition, the reaction results can be visualized by using calcein fluorescent dye. Furthermore, a total of 86 samples were tested by RT-LAMP, RT-PCR and virus isolation. The results demonstrated that all 54 specimens identified as positive by virus isolation were also positive when detected by RT-LAMP. Seven out of 54 samples, however, were misidentified by RT-PCR. The RT-LAMP method is more accurate than conventional RT-PCR. The results indicate that RT-LAMP has potential as a simple and rapid diagnosis technique for the detection of GCRV HZ08 subtype infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multi frame super-resolution (SR) reconstruction algorithms make use of complimentary information among low-resolution (LR) images to yield a high-resolution (HR) image. Inspired by recent development on the video denoising problem, we propose a robust variational approach for SR-based on a constrained variational model that uses the nonlocal total variation (TV) as a regularisation term. In our method, a weighted fidelity term is proposed to take into account inaccurate estimates of the registration parameters and the point spread function. Moreover, we introduce the nonlocal TV as a regularisation term in order to take into account complex spatial interactions within images. In this way, important features and fine details are enhanced simultaneously with noise reduction. Furthermore, an alternative nonlocal TV regularisation is proposed based on a better weight function which integrates gradient similarity and radiometric similarity. Experiments show the effectiveness and practicability of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The smoothed finite element method (S-FEM) was recently proposed to inject softening effects into and improve the accuracy of the standard FEM. In the S-FEM, the system stiffness matrix is obtained using strain smoothing technique over the smoothing domains associated with cells, nodes, edges or faces to establish models of desired properties. Stochastic FEM is regarded as an extension of the classical deterministic FEM to deal with the randomness of properties of input parameters in solid mechanics problems. In this paper, the cell-based S-FEM (or CS-FEM) is extended for stochastic analysis based on the generalized stochastic perturbation technique. Numerical examples are presented and obtained results are compared with the solution of Monte Carlo simulation. It is found that the present GS_CS-FEM method can improve the solution accuracy significantly for stochastic problems, in terms of the estimated means, variances and other probabilistic characteristics. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Cancer stem cells have recently been isolated from several different solid tumors. In breast cancer, the CD44+CD24−/low population is considered to comprise stem-like cells. The identification of cancer stem cells has provided new targets for the development of therapeutics. Oncolytic herpes simplex viruses (oHSVs) are an effective strategy for killing breast cancer cells and treating breast tumors in preclinical models. Here, we examined the efficacy of the oHSV G47Δ in killing breast cancer stem cells. Human breast cancer cell line SK-BR-3 and human primary breast cancer cells were cultured in suspension under conditions conducive to the growth of stem cells. They generated mammospheres, which had cancer stem cell properties. The proportion of CD44+CD24−/low cells in these mammospheres exceeded 95%, as determined by flow cytometry. The mammospheres were found to be highly tumorigenic when implanted subcutaneously in nude BALB/c mice. G47Δ contains the LacZ gene, and X-gal staining of infected cells in vitro and in vivo showed the replication and spread of the virus. G47Δ was found to be highly cytotoxic to the CD44+CD24−/low population in vitro, even when injected at low multiplicities of infection, and G47Δ treatment in vivo significantly inhibited tumor growth compared with mock treatment. This study demonstrates that oHSV is effective against breast cancer stem cells and could be a beneficial strategy for treating breast cancer patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors prove that multi-path diversity improves the detection performance of primary users for cognitive radio users. They analyse the relationship between the performance and the diversity order. The result shows that robust performance gain is hard to achieve by choosing fixed diversity order in unknown and varying channel states. Therefore they propose here a blind multi-path diversity auto-correlation ratio detection scheme that can enable dynamic diversity order to adapt to the channel state. Further, they extend this scheme to multi-antenna scenario where the cross-correlation information of the received signal at each pair of antennas is exploited. Simulations show that the proposed schemes perform as well as or even better than the ideal energy detection. One can use these schemes to detect all types of wireless signal without having the knowledge of the targeted signal, the channel and the noise power. Besides, unlike in other robust detection schemes, the thresholds are asymptotically independent of the sample size, which facilitates the flexible sensing period adjustment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this paper, a generalised spline filter, that has a unified description for both the linear spline filter and the nonlinear robust spline filter, is proposed. Based on the M-estimation theory, the general spline filter model can be solved using an iterated re-weighted least squared method which is also general for both the linear and the nonlinear spline filter. The algorithm has been verified to be effective, efficient and fast. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article reports on the outbreak of iridovirus in marbled sleepy goby, also known as sand goby in Southern China, in which a mortality rate of 85 percent were reported from many farms in the Fushan City, Guangdong Province. The post mortem examination of the fishes reported swollen liver, spleen and kidneys and also the infiltration of their kidneys by a large number of lymphocytes. It also revealed swollen cells in the spleen with clear cytoplasm.

The effect of process variables on flow response and microstructure evolution during hot working of Ti-17 (Ti-5Al-2Sn-2Zr-4Mo-4Cr) alloy with lamellar microstructure was established using isothermal hot compression tests at strain rates of 0·001-10 s−1, test temperature between 780 and 860°C, and height reductions of 15-75%. All of the flow curves exhibited a peak stress followed by noticeable flow softening, and tended to exhibit a noticeably lower rate of flow softening at the strain of the order of 0·7. The peak flow stress decreased with increasing temperature and decreasing strain rate. Flow softening of the Ti-17 alloy was caused by kinking, break-up and globularisation of lamellas during deformation and, to a small extent, by deformation heating. At high strain rate, adiabatic shear bands and flow localisation were observed to play a role in flow softening. In α+β phase region discontinuous yielding was discovered at higher temperature (⩾820°C) and 10 s−1. According to the deformation microstructure, lamellar α phase gradually kinked, broke up and globularised of lamellas resulting from the development of shear bands and the penetration of β phase during deformation in the α+β phase field. The degree of dynamic globularisation of α phase increased with increasing strains, temperature and decreasing strain rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In little more than 30 years, China has recovered from the intellectual stagnation brought about by the Cultural Revolution to become a global leader in science and technology. Like other leading countries in science and technology, China has encountered some ethical problems related to the conduct of research. China's leaders have taken some steps to respond to these problems, such as developing ethics policies and establishing oversight committees. To keep moving forward, China needs to continue to take effective action to promote research integrity. Some of the challenges China faces include additional policy development, promoting education in responsible conduct of research, protecting whistle-blowers, and cultivating an ethical research environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]